Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Scott,

I was thinking about this, too. I was lucky, or unlucky, enough to 
have been born in the mid-20th century. When I was growing up, 
drummers used very simple kits, and they tended to be very practical 
about what they wanted. The hardware was simple and flimsy, and the 
range of effects for drummers was narrow (cowbell and woodblock). 
But also communications were on a relatively small scale; people 
didn't think, or didn't have to think, so much about how things 
appeared. I'll cut to the chase. When the sixties arrived with 
widespread telecommunications (television), rejuvenated pop music, 
and a booming economy, the stage was set for a cultural revolution. 
Drumming became not just an art but also a performance art, and 
drums themselves became a signature, an art form in themselves. Just 
like pop stars had to seem larger than life to get grabbed by the 
public eye, drums became a highly visible/sudible showcase for bands 
or individuals, and they became fodder for competitive advertising. 
Gear in itself became important, because it could reach people on 
all sorts of new levels--aesthetics, economics, manufacturing 
techniques, etc. Bigger became better in this culture. Obviously, 
the effects were not all beneficial, but bigger often translates 
into more interests and new technical skills. Though I wouldn't say 
that large kits have made drummers better in every respect, they 
have certainly made them better in some. And they have turned drums 
themselves into a commercial and highly coveted commodity that has a 
life of its own.

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "hairytrigger" <artifax@i...> wrote:
> I am reading and enjoying the descriptions and photos of some 
members' 
> "Monster Kits.' I have resisted this urge. It is powerful!
> One of the main reasons I switched to Electronics was the 
portability 
> and onstage space factors.
> When I played acoustic, I had a lot of extra stuff: many toms, 
many 
> cymbals; Cowbells, tambourines,etc. I needed all this stuff. But, 
I 
> never played all that stuff on any one song. 
> 
> When I bagan triggering my acoustic kit, I added 3 extra pads for 
> accessories. One was a home-made device I put in front of my 
HiHats to 
> trigger a cowbell or tambourine while playing the hats.
> 
> Now that I have gone all electronic, I find a basic kit works 
great 
> for my needs. Snare (dual-zone), HiHat, Kick, 3 Toms, 2 Crashes, 
Ride, 
> and two or three extra pads for the percussion accessories. When I 
> need something different, I just switch kits.
> 
> My only problem is the basic kit takes up all the inputs. I could 
> manage one accessory pad if i do without the dual zone snare.
> 
> So I had to add another module or trigger interface for a couple 
lousy 
> pads.I tried the Roland SPD-6, but it had a terrible cross-talk 
> problem.
> 
> I have a Roland TD-5, and a PM-16 that I am alternating. I can't 
> decide which I like best. The PM-16 is kind of unweildy, but I can 
use 
> the XPress sounds. The TD-5 has some very cool sounds, plus it is 
> almost exactly the same size and shape as the XPress.
> 
> I was wondering, is this how the 'Monster Kits' began? You had the 
> extra inputs, so you had to fill them up?
> 
> Just wondering....Scott